Native Estates

In many instances, the colonial state has left a strong imprint on
the postcolonial archive. In the National Archives of Namibia (NAN),
for instance, it is difficult to locate pre-independence person-related
records of the black majority, while the same type of records of their
light-skinned compatriots are easily accessible. This lecture discusses a
substantial corpus of about 11 000 so-called “Native Estates” files
which previously were not accessible through the existing finding aids.
What is the research potential of these formerly neglected and untouched
records in particular regarding the social history of contract labour
in Namibia and of African migrants on a wider scale? Furthermore, a
substantial amount of estate files of migrants from other African
countries were discovered – a feature of Namibian history that has
rarely been researched. The sometimes very detailed files reveal
information on the migrants’ origin, their integration in Namibian
society and expatriate networks in the country. They also reveal that
not only Angolans and West Africans but also a substantial number of
migrants from other Southern African colonies found employment
opportunities in Namibia during the colonial era. The “Native Estate”
records thus have an important research potential with regard to the
entire Southern African region, which was heavily reliant on migrant
labour both on the demand and on the supply side.